Second Chances
by Puddle-Jumper38
Summary: When Rodney tries to find data on an Ancient machine, things go badly wrong. Elizabeth is thrown forwards in time, but what has happened while she was away?
1. Chapter 1

**SECOND CHANCES**

**Description: **When Rodney tries to find data on an Ancient machine, things go badly wrong. Elizabeth is thrown forwards in time, but what has happened in her absence?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Stargate Atlantis, or the characters or Stargate SG-1. Anything you recognise is not mine.

**A/N**: Not my usual style, in fact, my first story that isn't humor based. This is only going to be a two chapter thing and I've written the other chapter, so it'll be up in a couple of days. Well, I hope you enjoy!

**CHAPTER ONE**

"It's definitely important," Rodney McKay announced happily to his small audience while holding a small flat liver disk out for them to see. "Very important."

"I see," offered Elizabeth Weir politely, she didn't, but that wasn't the point.

John rolled his eyes. 'You still don't know what it does, do you?"

Rodney looked at him irritably. "I'm about to find out. I thought you both-" he indicated to John and Elizabeth "-might want to be here."

Elizabeth smiled at Rodney to stop the two of them arguing- again. "Thank you, Rodney."

"Well." McKay was looked smug again. "The device, while small, is ingenious, It even contains it's own data base. Once I've turned it on, which I'm about to do, I'll be able to access that data base."

From his chair Zelenka muttered something in Czech and shot a dark look at Rodney. Elizabeth decided that it probably had something to do with the fact that he would have to help Rodney access and then read through the data.

"Go on then," John told him. "Access the data."

Rodney held out the silver disk, which was actually a very complex Ancient machine, out to Elizabeth. "Hold this."

Elizabeth looked at it in alarm. "Why?"

"Because," ground out Rodney, failing to hide his impatience. "I don't want someone with the ATA gene holding it while I'm turning it on and Zelenka will be helping me turn it on. I need you to tell me if it starts vibrating."

John raised an eyebrow. "_Should_ it start vibrating?"

Elizabeth had been wondering the same thing.

"Yes!" snapped Rodney and held the device out to Elizabeth again. Reluctantly, she took it.

Rodney picked up his computer. "Zelenka program the frequency and send it to my computer, I'll channel it out."

"Frequency?" asked John. "I've never seen a machine that needs a frequency to turn it on."

Rodney shot him a look. "You have now."

Zelenka typed on his computer. "And… now."

Rodney pressed a few buttons on his computer. "We're channelling the frequency. Is the machine doing anything?"

"Yes," Elizabeth told him, holding the silver disk like it was about to bite her. "It's just started vibra-"

Elizabeth disappeared.

"What the…?" John yelled, running to where Elizabeth had been. "McKay!"

McKay's eyes had gone very wide. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

Zelenka swore in Czech.

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

Elizabeth let out a small cry of alarm as she found herself standing infront of a dinosaur and not just any dinosaur; it was unmistakably a T-rex. Elizabeth took a step back, shocked. Had the machine taken he to another planet? At least she still had the machine- small favours.

The T-rex roared.

Elizabeth felt the need to be somewhere else, anywhere else. She turned to run… and found herself standing in a small café. People stared at her in shock.

"Sorry," apologised Elizabeth, unsure what else to say. Making to get out of the café she tumbled forwards and saw a newspaper.

The date was the 2nd of February 1955.

Time travel! Elizabeth could only guess that that was the answer, but it still didn't make sense that she was on Earth. She was sure it was Earth.

"How..?" someone in the café was brave enough to ask.

Elizabeth wished she was safe back in Atlantis, or at least the SGC.

The café was gone and she was standing in the familiar infirmary of the SGC. A doctor stared at her in surprise.

Elizabeth threw the Ancient device on the ground before it could do anymore harm, then she passed out.

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

Elizabeth woke up slowly; wondering if she'd just had an exceptionally strange dream. Holding on to that thought she opened her eyes and found herself still in the SGC infirmary, but now she was lying on one of the beds. General Landry was looking down at her.

"Elizabeth!" Landry smiled but for some reason it looked almost forced. "Welcome back. How are you feeling?"

Elizabeth stared up at him; he sounded as if he'd been expecting her. Elizabeth struggled to remember everything that had happened since Rodney had turned on the machine. It had all happened so fast, too fast for her liking.

"A little confused," Elizabeth answered Landry.

"Hardly surprising. You may be interested to know that two months have passed since Dr McKay activated the Ancient machine you were holding," Landry informed her, then added. "We put it in the science labs by the way."

"Oh!" Elizabeth was surprised, but she guessed it did make sense. Then a thought struck her. "Have you… I mean, who's been in charge of Atlantis?"

"We haven't replaced you if that's what you're worried about," Landry assured her. "McKay insisted you'd turn up here on Earth eventually. Apparently the machine was something the Ancient Janus was working on, you'd have to ask McKay for full details."

Elizabeth nodded. "Then Colonel Sheppard was in charge? Can I speak to him?"

Landry's voice was grave. "I think you'd better come with me. The doctors here have already said you're free to go.

Elizabeth was slightly puzzled but obediently followed General Landry to the 'Gateroom where someone was speaking on loud speaker. She was relieved that the infirmary staff had left her in her uniform.

The wormhole was already active; Elizabeth looked up at a screen expecting to see Atlantis, and froze. On the screen _was_Atlantis, but there was a full view of the Gateroom and it was crowded, but in the middle sat a coffin.

Landry shot her a sympathetic look, now she understood why he hadn't been in the mood for smiling.

Major Lorne was reading the eulogy.

_"-he was know throughout the base and on many other worlds for his bravery and courage. He was an excellent leader. Most people on the base knew him well and know that he helped to keep a sense of safety with his stubbornness to never leave anyone behind. He will never be forgotten."_

Elizabeth swallowed nervously. _No._ It wasn't possible, it just wasn't. Her eyes quickly scanned the crowd in Atlantis as the coffin was carried through the 'gate. _No._

Rodney, Teyla and Ronon were all helping to carry the coffin, but someone was missing. Elizabeth refused to let herself admit it. She turned to Landry.

He looked regretfully at her. "I'm sorry."

Elizabeth swallowed again. "Who?" She already knew the answer.

"Colonel Sheppard," Landry told her quietly. "He died saving the rest of his team."

Elizabeth looked away, afraid she was going to cry. "Excuse me, I have to go."

She all but fled the 'Gateroom.

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

Elizabeth sat in one of the spare rooms in the SGC, she'd been there for two hours. Just staring into space. Its couldn't have happened. Would it have been different if she'd been there?

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Elizabeth was surprised her voice didn't break.

Rodney and Teyla walked in.

"Ah, hi," said Rodney, he looked sad, so did Teyla. "I, uh, knew you'd appear eventually- that machine is programmed to transport between Atlantis and Earth. As you might've guess it does work quite right, it also sends things backwards and forwards in time, but it should've let you have some mental control over it…" He trailed off.

Elizabeth was surprised. Rodney talked when he was sad, or hungry, or scared, in fact, Rodney just talked to fill the silence.

"Are you alright?" asked Teyla gently.

Elizabeth looked down. "I'm not sure."

"Landry said you woke up to hear the ending." Rodney didn't look at her.

"Yes." Elizabeth looked up again, she had to know. "What happened?"

"Err…" Rodney replied unhelpfully.

"Are you sure you wish to know now?" questioned Teyla. "Perhaps you should wait."

Elizabeth shook her head. "No. I feel I should t least know how it happened."

"Fair enough." Rodney was being very abrupt which wasn't like him. Elizabeth knew that Rodney wasn't a people person or military. She wondered if he'd ever lost a close friend before.

Teyla held Elizabeth's gaze. "We were on M3X 5P2 attempting to establish a trading relationship with the people there. We had barely started when the wraith arrived, we were unable to escape the culling beam of a dart. It took us up to a hiveship."

Elizabeth closed her eyes for a second. _God, not the wraith._

Teyla continued. "They took Colonel Sheppard to the Queen. Shortly after they took us out of the cell, I do not know where they were taking us."

"A cacoon probably," mumbled Rodney.

"Yes, probably," Teyla agreed. "There was only a small group and Ronon and I managed to overpower them. We found our way first to out weapons and then to John and the Queen. She was about to feed on him, Ronon got there to… _disable _the Queen's feeding hand. But we didn't see that the Queen had a knife, wraith usually do not carry knives." Teyla shook her head sadly. "The Queen stabbed John in the chest."

Elizabeth felt her blood run cold, it didn't seem fair.

"It didn't kill him," announced Rodney. "She missed his heart, just. So, uh, we killed the Queen and half-carried Sheppard to the dart bay, he was conscious but loosing a lot of blood. Only once we got to the dart bay did we realise that with Sheppard injured we had no-one to fly a dart."

"John volunteered," said Teyla. "Even though he was badly injured he flew us out of the hive. He must have got us through the Stargate as well because he rematerialised us on M8N 6D9."

Rodney looked at the floor. "I think after that he'd just lost to much blood to control the dart properly. He must've barely been conscious but he still didn't let the dart just drop, it glided off and landed a good distance east of the 'gate."

Elizabeth found herself holding her breath.

"The canopy was already open when we got there and John was struggling to stay conscious, we carried him to the 'gate." Teyla paused, tears filling her eyes. "He stopped breathing as we dialled the 'gate. Doctor Beckett was unable to revive him."

A long silence followed that statement.

"He died saving his team," Elizabeth finally whispered. That was what Landry had told her, and he was right.

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

Later on, staring down at the coffin, Elizabeth knew what she had to do. John hadn't deserved to die, neither had the any of the other expedition members they're lost over the few years they'd been on Atlantis.

Yet Elizabeth knew she couldn't leave things this way. Sending one last look at the coffin, John's coffin, Elizabeth set of for the SGC's science labs.

_"We put it in the science labs by the way."_

"_Some mental control over it."_

"_It's programmed to transport between Earth and Atlantis."_

_"It also sends things backwards and forwards in time."_

That was what Landry and Rodney had said. Elizabeth reached the science labs and grabbed the small silver disk. She knew it was a small but powerful little machine.

Things couldn't stay this way.

_"Some mental control over it."_

Elizabeth concentrated hard.

_I will fix this, John._

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

**A/N: **Cliffhangers anyone? Now, press that nice big button down there that says 'review'. Criticism is welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

**A/N: **Here's chapter two, the final chapter.

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

Doctor Carson Beckett nearly leapt a foot in the air when Elizabeth appeared in front of him.

"Bloody hell!"

Elizabeth blinked. "Carson! Look, I need to know what date it is."

Carson's expression softened a bit. "You've been gone nearly two months, love. Rodney said you'd been moved in time but we thought you'd be on Earth."

"I was. I'll explain later." She knew she probably wouldn't. Nearly two months. "I need to speak to John!"

Carson frowned. "Uh."

A cold hand grasped Elizabeth's heart. "What?"

"He's off world," Carson told her, looking a bit confused.

"Where? Which planet? How long has he been gone?" Elizabeth questioned desperately.

"I don't know which planet, he's been gone a while. Look, lass, maybe you should sit down," suggested Carson worriedly.

"No. Sorry, Carson. There's no time," Elizabeth apologised then sprinted out of the infirmary, shoving the Ancient machine in her pocket. People were looking at her curiously.

Elizabeth skidded to a halt infront of Lorne. "Major!"

He looked startled. "Ma'am! When did you get back?"

"Just now. I need to know which planet John went to."

"Okay." After years in the SGC and Atlantis Lorne was used to strange things and recovered quickly. "They've gone to M3X 5P2, but they're due to check in, in five minutes."

"They won't check in," Elizabeth told him. "I need you to assemble a team and be ready to go to M8N 6D9 ASAP. I want a medical team with you."

Lorne frowned. "Ma'am…"

Elizabeth held his gaze. "Trust me, they'll come to M8N 6D9. Please gear up."

Lorne studied her for a second. "Yes, ma'am."

He hurried off.

Elizabeth went to get herself geared up. There was no way she was staying behind.

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

In a wraith hive ship above M3X 5P2 Rodney half-carried John into the dart bay, while Teyla and Ronon cleared the way of wraith.

"How're we going to fly the dart?" asked Rodney panickedly.

"I can still fly it," John insisted, as stubborn as ever.

Teyla shook her head. "You are badly injured."

John held her eyes with his own. "I'll manage. How else are we gonna get out of here?"

Teyla hesitated; John was incredibly pale and was still bleeding heavily.

"He's right," said Ronon gruffly. "We don't have a choice."

John gritted his teeth and gestured towards an empty dart. "Help me in."

As soon as Teyla and Ronon had helped him into the dart and stepped back the dart canopy closed and the little wraith ship rose steadily into the air. Then the beam came down and swallowed Rodney, Teyla and Ronon.

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

Elizabeth stepped out onto M8N 6D9 with Lt Mills and Lorne teams and a medical team led by Carson.

"Head east!" she called to the teams. "Lt Mills, stay here and keep an eye on the 'gate."

They all had their doubts, Elizabeth could see that much, but she was thankful when nobody argued.

Rodney, Teyla and Ronon had been to late, she would not be.

Lorne came to walk along side her.

"With all respect, ma'am, what are we doing?"

"Just bear with me Major. This is important," Elizabeth informed him.

"Yeah, I believe you," Lorne assured her. "I just wanna know what's important."

_"The Stargate just activated,"_ announced Mills over their radios.

Elizabeth felt herself almost shaking with anticipation. This was going to work.

"Has anything come through?" she asked, controlling her voice.

_"Whoa!"_ exclaimed Mills. _"We have a wraith dart! Wait… Ronon, Teyla and McKay have just beamed out of it. The darts falling and its headed your way. Colonel Sheppard is likely flying it."_

Second after Mills had finished talking the dart skimmed over their heads and crashed to a halt a hundred meters in front of them.

Lorne looked admiringly at Elizabeth. "You have quite some intuition."

Offering him a quick smile, Elizabeth turned to Carson. "Get to the dart! Quickly!"

Carson didn't question her, just yelled a quick instruction to his medical team and bolted for the wraith dart, Elizabeth sprinted after him, leaving Lorne and his men to follow.

As Teyla had said, when they reached the dart the canopy was already open. Elizabeth knew what they were going to find, but it still shocked her to see John slumped in the dart covered in his own blood.

Carson swore. "Bandages! I need bandages! Get the stretcher ready! Get me morphine, it's a knife wound!"

He and his medical team got John out of the dart and onto the stretcher, John groaned softly.

"Son, can you hear me?" asked Carson urgently.

John just groaned again, he was obviously barely conscious.

"Cut his shirt off! We need to apply pressure and bandages!" Carson flung the order at his medical team.

Elizabeth hovered in the background anxiously while Carson bandaged John's wound with amazing speed. There was a brief pause when he'd finished.

"That should hold," said Carson. "But we need to get him to the infirmary."

He and his medical team leapt back into action, carrying John back to the Stargate on the stretcher.

Again Elizabeth and Lorne jogged after them.

Lorne looked at her worriedly. "A knife wound? D'you reckon he'll be okay?"

"I don't know," Elizabeth answered truthfully.

She would've said more but at that moment Ronon, Teyla and Rodney (lagging behind as he tried to keep up) ran into view and stopped when they saw the stretcher. Mills wasn't far behind them.

"W-what? Huh?" gasped Rodney, trying to get his breath back.

"We'll explain later," offered Elizabeth.

"Dr Weir?" commented Ronon in confusion.

"Elizabeth?" asked Teyla.

"As I said, we'll explain later," Elizabeth replied.

Ronon looked at Lorne, who shrugged.

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

Elizabeth, Rodney, Lorne, Teyla and Ronon waited impatiently outside the infirmary.

"You still haven't explained how you knew," huffed Rodney in annoyance.

"Yes, I have." Elizabeth didn't want to argue about this, but she doubted they'd like it if she told them the truth. Particularly Rodney, he moan about changing time though he probably would drop the point if it really hit him what would've happened if she'd left things as they were.

"That was no hunch," Rodney complained.

Ronon shrugged. "No it wasn't."

"You did know exactly what was going on," pointed out Lorne.

"I bet I know how you knew!" Rodney announced suddenly. "You went forward in time and found out! You've created a paradox, haven't you?"

Teyla turned to Elizabeth and her raised eyebrows inquiringly.

"It was a hunch," insisted Elizabeth. Would they ever stop asking her about it? Rodney probably wouldn't. Still, she didn't regret changing time.

And she _had_ changed time. Carson had already told them that John had survived surgery, despite massive blood loss, and was going to live. Now they just had to wait until Carson let them in to see John.

Carson came out, preventing Rodney from continuing his argument, at least until later.

"He's awake and you can go in now." Carson paused and wagged a finger at them. "But don't stay long, he's on painkillers and will be feeling a wee bit woozy."

Elizabeth struggled to keep her pace at a fast walk as she entered the infirmary, but managed to be first to John's bedside, he looked up at her with tired hazel eyes.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" Elizabeth asked softly.

He managed a half smile. "Drugged. Carson told me you were back."

Rodney snorted. "Yeah, she's back and has already led a rescue mission to the planet, before we even got there."

"I know," John told him. "Carson said."

"So the doc filled you in with the details before we came in?" asked Lorne.

"Something like that," admitted John.

"Of course I did," grumbled Carson from behind Elizabeth, Lorne and John's team. "I couldn't have you surprising a patient who's just had surgery near his heart."

John raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh."

"So how d'you think she did it?" questioned McKay impatiently.

"Oh, I dunno yet," John replied, then smiled at Elizabeth. "I'll figure it out eventually."

"Elizabeth does not seem to want to tell anyone," put in Teyla.

Ronon grunted his agreement.

"Well, if Rodney's right and that machine messes around with time, anything could've happened," said John, looking at Elizabeth slyly.

Elizabeth decided he'd reached the same conclusion as Rodney- the right one.

John yawned.

Carson's eyes narrowed. "He's tired, it's time for you all to leave."

John rolled his eyes. "Doc, they just came in."

But he did look very tired, so Carson shooed them out again. Elizabeth hung back until Lorne and John's team had left, then went back to John. Carson tutted.

Elizabeth squeezed John's hand. "Don't ever scare me like that."

"How close was it?" asked John quietly, looking her in the eye.

"Too close," Elizabeth replied.

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

**A/N: **I hope you liked it…. and _please _review. As I said, this is my first serious story, if no-one reviews then I'll have to assume I failed miserably (If I did fail miserably, please review anyway and tell me).


End file.
